Daring Remembrance
by Arahsa Anime
Summary: Chihiro's memories of the Spirit World are removed as revenge against Haku. Now, six years later, a dare brings her back. And there will be war. There will be betrayal. There will be love. And there will be memories. T for violence and possible themes.
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone! This is the new and improved _Daring Remembrance_! I hope you enjoy ;) And again, I apologize for the re-write.**

Haku tapped his foot impatiently, looking out the window as he had been for the past year and a half. Where the hell Yubaba had fled to this time, he didn't know. She had left soon after Chihiro was freed, obviously embarrassed at being bested by a human. It was a humiliation to all spirits. Humans were considered nothing but lower beings to most spirits. Unfit to even be slaves.

There were, obviously a few cases that were different. Zeniba had loved Chihiro like her own child- or grandchild, considering age differences. Kamajii was the same. Rin adored her like a protective older sister, or maybe even like a young mother. And to him, she was...sunshine. Bright, warm, and beautiful. And how unnaturally warm she was...

Haku was lost in his memories for a moment. But all he was remembering was the warmth. The warmth she emitted when he held her. The warmth that made it possible for him to know when she was there. The warmth that he could practically feel through her smile. The thought of her smile made him smile, too.

The smile faded, though, as he remembered her. He felt that horrid longing in the pit of his stomach again. The want to hold her, see her smile, know that she was there beside him. Try as he could, he couldn't find anything in Yubaba's office that would let him even get a glimpse at her. Zeniba didn't know of any, either. That, or she was hoarding them away from him. Not that he was suspicious of her. At all.

A flicker of movement in the sky caught his eye. A smile played on his lips. He'd be going back to Chihiro soon enough. But another movement in the water demanded his full attention. A small ripple spread out from the area where the creature had slipped up in its stealth. He felt his heart sink into his stomach and prayed to whatever deity might be above that it was _not_ that man.

He saw a slimy, black tentacle pop out of the water, mocking him.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

That tentacle belonged to none other than Sumizome Taikai. The Water Demon. And his fourth cousin. Haku growled. The man was nothing but trouble, and his immortal nemesis. When Haku had been very young (and only a mere stream), the man had killed not only his mother and father, but almost the entire village of people who lived on his banks. Since then, he had loathed the man and thirsted for his blood and vengeance for those he had stolen from him.

A dragon burst out from Yubaba's office window, shattering it for the second time that month. He landed not far from the bath crone, watching with her as the demon slithered out of the water.

The man was beryl blue, with eight black octopus tentacles in place of legs. Black eyes glared out from underneath thick navy brows, and a cruel smile was surrounded by a wily beard of the same color. Around his neck, he wore a pouch made of the bell of a Box Jellyfish. It was hung by one of the jellyfish's tentacles. Other than that, his chest was bare, showing the many scars he had from battles with other spirits and creatures of the sea. He was the spirit of the Indian Ocean, but he was well known for bullying (and sometimes killing) other water deities, and causing disasters in their immediate areas.

He was, in short, unnaturally cruel. Hence his nickname as the "Water Demon". Nonetheless, he was powerful and abhorred humans, which gained him a lot of respect from water spirits who believed themselves superior.

"Kohaku, dear, it's been so long. You really need to talk with your cousin more." The man smirked.

The dragon growled savagely, refusing to transform. He wasn't going to let his guard down in front of this man.

"How rude," Taikai sighed, "If you refuse to talk to me, then step aside, boy. I've got business to settle with your master."

Haku snapped at the demon, missing on of his precious tentacles by centimeters. Yubaba was not his master. He was a free spirit, dammit. He had no master.

"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, transform or move right now, or I'll kill that girl you've spent the last year and a half thinking about."

Haku unwillingly transformed back into his human form. He still glared at the man, eyes unmoving from his grotesque blue frame.

"What do you want, Taikai?" He spat.

"Nothing, other than the life of the woman standing behind you."

"Might I ask why?"

"She did me wrong in the past, and caused me great pain."

"I had to make you repent for that disgusting accessory somehow. Someone should never be deprived of their heart." Yubaba sneered.

"You mock the circumstance! It was mine from the beginning!"

"No, it was given to someone else, and you couldn't handle that. So you stole it, murdering the poor thing in the process."

"I'll have your life! And the life of all those you know!" Takai screamed, before he turned to Haku, "Join me, boy. Together we can defeat this crone. You'll have your freedom and be able to see _her_ whenever you please. We can create a whole army of water spirits. Think of the raw, awesome power! We could rule the spirit world!"

"I would rather die."

Taikai blinked angrily. His temper was bubbling out of control, and he made one final decision. Smiling cruelly, he looked at the dragon boy.

"Fine, then, have it your way. But I won't kill you. I'll do something far, far worse. Do you want to know what I'm going to do, boy?"

Haku's face remained emotionless.

"I'm going to take away her memories of you. She'll never remember you, and no spell will ever restore those memories. Chihiro Ogino will forget you and live on her life, while you die in a war you'll never be able to win."

Haku's face betrayed his surprise and horror as Taikai murmured the words to a spell. He stood helplessly as the man laughed a wicked laugh and disappeared into the water. He turned to Yubaba.

"Stay in my service, Haku. Things won't be pretty for you if your free."

**_xxxxx_**

"Ms. Ogino! Pay attention!" the teacher snapped at the front of the classroom.

She mumbled an apology, blushing. She'd been lost in her thoughts about Haku and the others in Aburaya. How were things going over there? Was Haku free yet? And how was Rin doing? Kamajii? The balls of soot?

She shook her head and turned back to the lecture. Sometimes, class was just so boring...

'School felt like it took hours to finish today.' Chihiro thought, as she walked along the route to her house.

She paused by a river running through the area. She sat down on a rock, not caring about how damp her bottom got. Sticking a foot in, she giggled. But she turned around suddenly at the sound of a snapping twig.

Her eyes found a boy only a few years older than her, wearing a steel gray kung fu shirt, black capris, and traditional chinese slippers. He had short-cropped ash gray hair and blood red eyes. He smiled at her.

"My name is Hikozaemon, and I'm the spirit of this river."

Chihiro visibly relaxed, and something in the boy's countenance changed.

"Just because I say that I'm a spirit does not mean I'm kind, or like humans. I'm nothing like that disgrace of the Kohaku River." He smirked at the suddenly pungent smell of fear in the air, "I've been sent to destroy your memories."

Chihiro panicked and stood up quickly. She slipped backwards on the rocks and Hikozaemon caught her, placing his palm on her forehead.

Her scream echoed for miles.

When he was finished, he turned to the girl behind him. She was the exact opposite of him, with deep red hair and gray eyes.

"I've done my part, Amaya. Now it's your turn."

She nodded as he handed her the body. Carrying it, she ran into a nearby hospital, prepared to tell the story that would be used as an excuse for the girl's condition.

**There we go, the new intro to _Daring Remembrance_! Stay tuned for the next chapter, which is likely to be posted soon! Btw, fourth cousin would mean that Taikai is Haku's great-grandfather's cousin.  
**


	2. Daring

**Sorry for the late update everyone, but as we speak I'm starting the next chapter. Hopefully that'll be up soon. Enjoy ;)**

Chihiro hummed as she sunned herself in the park. Beside her, some of her friends were chatting in that mindless way some teenage girls do. She had changed a great deal since she was ten, they noted. For one thing, she had grown her hair out so that it now reached below her shoulder blades. Her dark chocolate eyes were filled with happiness and love, and the rare zest for life that was characteristic of 16-year-olds.

"Ro-ro!" called a girl with a bob of garnet-red hair and gray eyes.

"What's up, Ya-ya?" She yawned, rolling over onto her stomach.

"You were spacing again." giggled a girl with pin-straight black hair.

"Sorry, Yu-chi."

"I forgive you."

"So," spoke another girl, "We decided the perfect way to start the summer."

"Pray tell." Chihiro smirked.

"Why, a dare of course." Yu-chi smiled broadly.

"Hm, I accept."

"Accepting the dare without even knowing! Pah, so cocky, Ro-ro."

"Oh please, Amaya. You know she never turns down a dare."

"Well, it'd be nice if I knew what I was getting myself into, Nao-chi." Chihiro interrupted.

"Right. You have to spend the night in the creepy, abandoned amusement park!" Nao-chi declared.

"Is that it?" She yawned.

The girl stuck her tongue out at Chihiro. She was clearly displeased with Chihiro's lack of reaction at the dare. Honestly, she had gotten more of a reaction when she dared her just to jump into the Hikozaemon River! And now that she was being dared to spend the night in the most haunted place in the entire town, all she replied was 'Is that all?'

"We'll meet there at about 6, ok?" Yu-chi confirmed.

"Sounds fine. Anyway, have you guys heard about the latest news with Oshima Fusikage? They say he's getting engaged..."

Gasps of 'no's and 'really's followed the comment, and launched a new topic of conversation.

_**xxxxx**_

Chihiro entered her room silently. She would need to pack for the dare now if she wanted to leave in time. She pulled a charcoal gray leather rucksack out of the depths of her closet. She'd fill it with provisions when she got back down to the kitchen. Now all she had to decide was what to wear. Something durable, for sure.

After a small amount of time spent mulling it over, she opted for a green plaid tank top and dark wash cut off shorts. She pulled on her blue converse which, like everyone else, she had doodled on. The left had a plethora of black question marks, while the right had an amber dragon. Finally, she grabbed a pendant off her nightstand.

This, along with a purple hairband, was what she considered one of her most precious treasures. The jewel was a perfectly polished, oval-shaped malachite stone. It was surrounded by a frail silver filigree and was hung on a delicate matching chain. She distinctly remembered how she found it on one visit her family had taken back to her old neighborhood when she was 14.

The Kohaku River had just recently been restored at the time, making the atmosphere very peaceful. She had just gotten into a fight with one of her friends, so she had run to the river to ease her mind. She'd just been mindlessly dipping her hand into the water and watching the ripples spread when she saw a glint of light. Curious, she had reached down, only to feel an odd sensation of warmth, like someone was grabbing her hand. The next thing she knew, the pendant was in her palm, and the warm sensation was gone.

She'd taken it to the Town Center, asking if they knew who it belonged to. The man in charge that day said he'd put up posters to see if the owner would show up for it. She returned home again shortly, a few weeks passed. Then one day the pendant came in the mail along with a letter saying nobody came to claim it, so it was hers.

Since that day, she had worn it around her neck almost all the time. Her friends made fun of her for it, but she didn't care. It was hers, and it made her feel special. Like it was a gift from the river to her. Fixing the clasp, she walked downstairs into the kitchen.

She was greeted by the sight of her 12 year old adopted brother. His raven hair was covering his alice blue eyes as he attempted to decode one of their mother's recipes. He didn't even look up as she raided the cabinets for food.

"Dare?"

"Mm-hmm. Sorry to leave you alone for the night."

"For the night? What exactly does this challenge entail?"

"Camping out in that abandoned amusement park."

"_What?_"

She looked up innocently from her bag, and had to repress her giggles. Hajime was standing in front of her, wearing a frilly pink apron over his middle school uniform. But the serious look of surprise, worry, and anger that is typically given by a mother who just saw her child hurt themself (after she told him not to do said thing he hurt himelf doing) killed the laughter in her throat. Coughing, she looked back down to her bag.

"You heard me."

"Chihiro, I really don't think that's a good idea..."

"What happened to '_Chihiro-nee_'?"

"I call you Chihiro-nee when I feel I can look up to you," He said coldly, "And when you do stupid things like this, I can't bring myself to do it. I mean the last kids who went to that damned place disappeared! They still can't find them, not even the slightest trace!"

"Well I'm sorry if I go and have a little fun! It's not my fault you're such a goddamned stick in the mud!"

"Fine! Go disappear! See what I care!"

"I hope I do so that I never have to deal with your overbearing ass EVER AGAIN!" She shrieked, slamming the door behind her as she stormed out toward the path in the woods.

As she stomped through the overgrowth, muttering angrily to herself, she began to feel guilty. But only a minuscule amount.

'Hajime has a right to be worried,' a sensible and mature part of her chided, 'you usually end up coming home hurt in some way after these dares. You know how I've always thought they were a silly idea.'

'Shut up,' sulked her irresponsible side, 'you never like having any fun ever. If you were the one in control, we'd spend our days reading bloody textbooks all the time.'

'Lord knows we could use it, have you seen our grades?'

Chihiro was now highly offended at the words of her sensible side. What did it mean, had she seen her grades? Of course she had. They were perfectly acceptable, even though her parents would beg to differ.

But her sensible side did have a point.

Not about her grades, you dolt.

About Hajime.

She sighed in defeat. She really did prefer it when her irresponsible side was right, and though it hardly ever happened, it left her feeling a lot less guilty.

She spotted an odd statue, and nodded. She was at the right place. Looking up, she noted the fake stone gate in front of her. A breeze rushed into the gate from behind her, and her eyes widened in surprise. It felt so..._familiar_.

A hand clapped onto her shoulder, and she jumped. Whirling around, she faced a boy a little older than her with short, spikey ash-gray hair and blood red eyes. She narrowed her eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"Don't scare me like that, Kozae!" She huffed, "Besides, why are you even here?"

"To make sure you don't back out of the dare." He chuckled.

"Oh, please." She snorted.

His eyes fell on the pendant around her neck. The narrowed significantly, his jaw hardened, knuckles clenched, and he looked positively dragon-like for a minute. Not that Chihiro noticied. She was too busy looking at the statue.

"Still wearing that stupid pendant, huh?"

"Yes I am, deal with it."

6 o'clock finally rolled around, and Amaya appeared. Chihiro craned her neck to look behind her friend, but she didn't see anyone else.

"The other two had something else to do, so we're here to document the fact that you actually completed the dare." The red head explained.

Chihiro nodded, and turned toward the gate. Taking a deep breath, she entered the tunnel.

**Yes, by the way. Kozae = Hikozaemon. And about the shoe doodles, 'Chihiro' means one thousand questions. 'Kohaku' means amber, and he's a dragon ;D**


End file.
